A U.S. Postal Service that delivers for Maine
Dear Mainer,
I appreciate your patience while I finished my June Substack. It’s been a busy few weeks in Washington, which has made finding time to write quite difficult.
Much of the news you may have heard or read about my work lately has been at the national level. Today, I want to focus on an important issue at the local level: the United States Postal Service (USPS), an agency you, me, and so many Maine families and small businesses rely on.
Working to ensure government works for Mainers is one of my highest priorities in DC. If you live in the Second Congressional District, you probably are aware that the promise of the USPS has been imperiled in recent years. In fact, it’s one of the issues that constituents bring to my attention the most frequently.
Particularly in rural communities where internet service is limited, people rely on timely service to pay bills, keep in touch with loved ones, and receive life-saving medications. When the mail is delayed — or the local post office closes its doors — it creates major problems.
Issues with the USPS have accelerated in recent years thanks in large part to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s “Delivering for America” plan. DeJoy has claimed that this ten-year project will achieve financial stability and service excellence for the agency. But his plan to do so involves cutting services, relocating some rural operations into more urban areas, and moving jobs hundreds of miles away. In both Maine and the rest of the country, “Delivering for America” has been met with bipartisan condemnation.
Mainers have good reason to fear these types of changes. Three years ago, the agency closed the post offices in Etna and West Paris with little communication about when they’d reopen. Through the start of this year, residents were still being left in the dark.
Then, last year, USPS announced new plans to move mail processing operations from Hampden to Scarborough. This was just the latest version of a proposal it had been floating for years, drawing fierce opposition from workers and elected officials every time. At one point, they even tested their consolidation proposal, prompting mail delays throughout the district.
I demanded answers from regional USPS officials. In response, I mostly received silence. When I did get a response, it was vague, and the agency’s unwillingness to take Mainers’ concerns seriously was clear. DeJoy and his staff hemmed and hawed about Hampden.
But workers and residents of Etna, West Paris, and towns across the majority of the state served by the Hampden facility consistently resisted. I took the Hampden issue to Postmaster General DeJoy himself. I’ve similarly pressed the Postal Service about its facility in West Paris.
In addition to holding DeJoy accountable, I also got to work on possible legislative solutions, and following their April announcement I began assembling a bipartisan coalition to oppose these types of consolidations nationwide. I’m proud to report these efforts are paying off..
In January, the Postal Service announced it was finally reopening the post office in Etna. And just one month — and lots of angry response from residents and lawmakers — after the agency announced it would consolidate its Hampden facility, Postmaster DeJoy agreed to immediately freeze its plans and talk more with Congress before moving ahead any further.
Meanwhile, I’m continuing to push for answers, transparency, and a clear timeline for the reopening of the West Paris post office. I’m confident we’ll get there.
We need long-term solutions to protect access to timely mail delivery, especially in rural areas. While I’m proud to fight for people who rely on USPS every day, members of Congress shouldn’t have to play whack-a-mole with DeJoy every year — bashing back and fighting as he creates new challenges and roadblocks.
As Congress works through the annual budget process, I have submitted an amendment to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill based on a bipartisan bill I introduced that would eliminate funding for the Mail Processing Facility Review process — effectively blocking the USPS’ plans to shift mail processing from Hampden to Scarborough.
I know that issues with USPS aren’t the most flashy subject for big national news stories. But I also know this is a major priority for so many of your families and small businesses. That makes it a priority for me.
I’m grateful for the folks in Maine, including the members of the American Postal Workers Union, who have worked on-the-ground to oppose plans that weaken mail service in our state. Your letters, testimony to the USPS, and advocacy make a difference.
The best way to restore faith in government is by making it work well in our day-to-day lives. By focusing more of our energy on local issues like the Postal Service, elected officials can — and in my opinion, must — achieve just that.
Respectfully,